


you're so vain, you probably think this song is about you (it is)

by strawberry_mastiffs



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Baker/Pianist/Overworked Yixing, Bartender Kris, Byun Baekhyun is a Little Shit, Fluff, Heavy Angst, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Lawyer Junmyeon, M/M, Tinder, everyone loves and cares for Yixing and rightfully so, main krisho and slight everyone else
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2018-12-18 21:17:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11883000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberry_mastiffs/pseuds/strawberry_mastiffs
Summary: "27, corporate lawyer looking for a loving, fulfilling relationship" meets "swipe right for an excellent drink and good time."In which talented, charismatic, high-functioning but highly stressed lawyer/mom Junmyeon accepts sexy, poised, and capable but emotionally constipated bartender Kris's Super Like.





	1. Brunch

**Author's Note:**

> the lawyer/Tinder AU no one asked for but I really wanted to write, featuring a pretentiously long title I borrowed from the 70s' song

     Kim Junmyeon followed his routine like clockwork. He’d wake up at six a.m., go for a half-hour run, set the coffee to brew while he showered, and have a quick breakfast before heading to work. Following this schedule usually put him at the firm around eight, and Minseok tended arrive soon after with some kind of pastry for everyone. Weekday mornings were routine.

  
     Weekends varied. Saturday, Junmyeon woke up to his chirpy ringtone, a pounding hangover, and one leg hanging off his bed.

  
     Blearily, he grabbed the offending device. Swiping to answer, he raised it to his ear only to drop it as a too-enthusiastic greeting blared out.

  
     “GOOD morning, Junmyeon hyung! Let’s get brunch.”

  
     He hung up and rolled back over, only to have his ringer go off again seconds later.

  
     “Hey, sorry about Baek. I told him you were probably asleep and hungover but he didn’t care.” Chanyeol’s calmer, lower rumble was less irritating than Baekhyun’s peppy half-shout. The man sounded a bit hungover himself, contrasting with his flatmate’s (almost aggressive) cheerfulness.

  
     “Why,” Junmyeon managed to croak out. “If you knew, why did you let him call me at all? Why are you calling me now?” He heard Baekhyun’s faint whine of “not fair why did he only hang up on me let me talk to him again” and sighed heavily.

  
     “Minseok hyung wants to get brunch, and—Baek stop, I’ve got this—“ A loud clatter interrupted Chanyeol’s protests and rustling noises, followed by “BAEKHYUN YOU DICK, I SWEAR IF YOU BROKE MY PHONE—”

  
     “Junmyeon hyuuunnnnnngggggg come to br—“

  
     He hung up, this time switching his phone to silent before burrowing back under the covers.

  
     Only to lie there, head spinning and unable to fall back asleep. This was…not unexpected. He always had trouble sleeping after being woken up, which was helpful when he had somewhere to be but inconvenient on the rare occasions he wanted to laze around. Shame on him for thinking today would be different. Hauling the covers back with a sigh, Junmyeon pulled himself upright and stretched before heading to the bathroom. Hangovers after ten (or was it more than that?) shots at twenty-seven years old, he really should stop agreeing to go out with the younger ones.

***

     His door buzzed as he was brushing his teeth. Half-dressed but freshly showered, Junmyeon opened it to reveal Minseok. Coppery hair brushed back neatly, bright-eyed and gummy smile on his round, distinctly _not_ hungover face.

  
     “Hey, Jun. Wanna get brunch? I invited Chanyeol and Baekhyun already; they said they’d call you and let you know.” Junmyeon choked on Minseok’s audacity to look and sound perfectly well-rested and put-together as though he hadn’t been right next to him last night, chasing his Patrón with Belvedere. The man always had a deceptively high tolerance for someone his size, unlike Junmyeon.

  
     Minseok closed the door behind him and followed a coughing Junmyeon to the bathroom. “I thought you’d be ready by now. At first I was going to come down and wake you up myself, but I figured Chanyeol could handle it.” He would’ve taken the shock of Minseok’s sudden but undoubtedly quiet presence in his flat over Baekhyun’s well-intentioned screeching any day. Minseok had the emergency spare anyways.

  
     Junmyeon finished rinsing out his mouth, scrubbing a towel over his face. “How are you fine? Why aren’t you hungover?” A glance in the mirror confirmed that he did indeed look as dead as he felt. At least he could fix his hair, though.

  
     Minseok quirked an eyebrow, smoothly taking the comb from his sluggish hands to part Junmyeon’s hair the way he liked it in half the time it would’ve taken Junmyeon in his current state. “Why are you hungover? I expected your health-nut self to know how to avoid them.” Damn it.

  
     “I’m getting too old for this, Minnie. It’s fine for the kids to go out like that, but I need sleep. And…” His stomach was rumbling. “And food.” He tossed a button-up on his bed, stumbling as he worked his sore legs into his jeans.

  
     “We’re the same age, Jun.” Minseok handed him a pair of socks, bless him for not making Junmyeon deal with the vertigo that would undoubtedly accompany his crouch down to his sock drawer. “And Chanyeol and Baek are only two years younger than us at most, come on. They were only a year under us in school, remember?” Yeah, but the two of them liked to act like they were toddlers often enough. Yelling, throwing things, _breaking things_ … Minseok’s amused smirk told him he might’ve grumbled that last bit out loud, but whatever. No shame in speaking the truth.

  
     Ten minutes and another (thankfully to Minseok this time) phone call from Baekhyun asking where they were, and Junmyeon was ready to head out. He mentally braced himself for the auditory onslaught of Baekhyun in person.

***

     “Ahhhh hyunnnnngggggg, we’ve been sitting here for fifteen minutes already! I'm starving!” Junmyeon stopped just short of their table to shoot a flat look at Minseok, who was calmly slipping into the chair next to Jongdae. He, to absolutely no surprise, also appeared perfectly hangover-free and well-rested enough to fill their immediate radius with his whining. Junmyeon’s third man-child was also joining them, apparently. Excellent. He dropped next to Chanyeol, who had the decency to spare him an apologetic wince as Baekhyun, never to be outdone, added his own even louder whines.

     “Yah, hyung, you didn’t even say hi to me! Don’t you love me at all?” He ignored Baekhyun’s attempts to pout at him over Chanyeol, which was easy enough considering the larger man blocked most of his body.

  
     “You didn’t tell me two of our kids would be joining us today, Minnie.” Which clearly was the wrong thing to say as Baekhyun exploded with protests, and Jongdae’s whines only increased in volume. Chanyeol smugly took a sip of his water before trying to set it down on his fork and nearly spilling it across the table, wide eyes shooting a panicked glance at Junmyeon. Junmyeon pretended he didn't see anything. Chanyeol was arguably his best behaved child, though accident-prone.

  
     “We’ve been friends for years now, hyung! I was your first employee! You didn’t want to invite me? To eat with you and _our_ best friends? You guys didn't even invite me last night, and now Junmyeon hyung wants me to _starve alone_ instead of sharing a nice meal with the friends I know and love.” He thankfully dropped to a normal speaking volume on the last few sentences, but now his big eyes were reproachfully fixed on Junmyeon, who casually hid behind his menu.

  
     “I figured you would’ve assumed Jongdae would be here,” Minseok patted the man’s shoulder as Jongdae turned to him, beaming. Right. Junmyeon swore the two of them had a thing, though neither had approached him about it. He’d have to confront Minseok after he had enough evidence. “Though we did invite you last night, Dae, remember? You said you had something else to do.” At least Minseok could stop his whining most of the time, whether or not they were involved.

  
     They managed to order without much incident, though Baekhyun cracked a joke as soon as the waitress walked away. Chanyeol cackled, slapped the table as usual, and tipped over his water fully this time. Junmyeon sighed for the third time in an hour, adding his napkin to the sodden wads in front of Chanyeol. At least he’d managed to prevent it from spilling the first time. No accidents at all was too much to ask for.

     Junmyeon’s phone lit up when he was making good progress on his scramble. He peered closer, choking on a piece of spinach as “SOMEONE HAS SUPER LIKED YOU!” registered in his mind. “What is this? Why do I have this?” Minseok was suspiciously amused, Baekhyun didn’t seem to know what was happening, and Chanyeol was leaning against his shoulder, trying to see the screen.

  
     “Wow hyung, you have a Tinder? I didn’t think you would. Why haven’t you showed us before?” What the fuck. Junmyeon unlocked his phone, vaguely aware of Minseok walking over to rest his head on his shoulder. There it was. Tinder in all its glory. His profile was completely filled out: 27, “corporate lawyer looking for a loving, fulfilling relationship” what the fuck. He scrolled through his pictures.

  
     “The bio was your idea, you know. I asked you what you wanted and you said something about a family and ‘a nice, solid dick’ so I went for the family-friendly version. Oh, I picked that picture. Remember when I took that? Your abs looked great that day.” Minseok sounded far too proud of himself. Junmyeon stared at a picture from when he and Minseok had gone to Cancún two years ago. He was lying on a towel, eyes scrunched up mid-laugh, head tilted back and dark hair sparkling with seawater. It was a good picture, he had to admit.

  
     The one after it was a terrible selfie he didn’t even remember taking. “That one’s for personality, you know? It shows your goofy side incase the whole corporate law thing scares anyone off.” This was too much for one morning. He locked his phone, nudged Minseok off his shoulder, and went back to eating. “Hey, you didn’t even find out who’s interested in you! That’s the whole point of making one.”

  
     “I didn’t make one, Min. I’ll delete it later, just leave it.” Minseok grabbed Junmyeon’s phone off the table, hovering beside him. Of course. Jongdae seemed on the verge of getting up himself, while Baekhyun was starting up with the noises again. Chanyeol, thankfully, was immersed in his waffles.

  
     “Ah, nice. Bartender. Tall, maybe taller than Chanyeol. He’s pretty hot.” That got everyone’s interest, and Junmyeon fought down his own curiosity. Jongdae was up and looking over Minseok’s shoulder, while Chanyeol craned his long neck to see. Baekhyun bounced up to claim Minseok’s other shoulder, one hand resting on Junmyeon’s head.

  
     “Wow, ‘Myeon hyung,” Baekhyun _ruffled his hair_ god what had he done to deserve this? “No offense, because you’re great and I love you, but this guy seems like the kind who wouldn’t be interested in you at all. He seems way too cool for you, hyung.” Okay, that was it. Junmyeon swatted his hand away and stood, reclaiming his phone before sitting back down. Three heads followed him down, Chanyeol choosing to lean against his arm instead. ‘Kris Wu’ was twenty-six, a bartender at _Crown_ , and had too many piercings. He also had bleached hair that should’ve gone out of style years ago, and legs that went on for miles. This guy was interested in him. Mr. “swipe right for an excellent drink and good time.”

  
     “Yeah hyung, he looks like someone you’d be scared of if he came towards you in the street.” That was uncalled for and Junmyeon shot Chanyeol a disappointed look. Chanyeol at least had the decency to look somewhat apologetic, large ears pinking at the tips. “But hey, if he liked you a few minutes ago, it means he most likely did it sober right? So you know that he’s not looking at you through wine goggles and genuinely thinks you’re at least a seven, which is good because he’s definitely a ten.” Junmyeon rolled his eyes.

  
     “Okay, I just want to make some things clear. Number one, I don’t remember setting up my profile, nor do I recall even downloading the app. Two, I’ll admit that this guy is attractive but _he’s_ the one who liked me first okay? That means _he_ finds me attractive. It doesn’t matter if you think he’s out of my league because he clearly doesn’t think, so—“ Jongdae, who had been unusually quiet during the entire ordeal, placed a slim finger on Junmyeon’s phone screen. Accepting Kris Wu’s Super Like.

  
     Chanyeol immediately seal-clapped as Baekhyun screeched his approval, and Junmyeon faintly heard Minseok patting Jongdae on the back. “You looked like you were considering declining the request, hyung. I couldn’t just let you miss out on someone like that.” Jongdae was blinking innocently down at him, feline lips curled up in a sweet smile. Junmyeon stared at him as the others settled into their seats, Jongdae casually breaking the eye contact as he sat back down. “Who knows, maybe he’s the one. If he isn’t, he looks like he’d be a great hookup at least.” He polished off his now-cold pancakes.

  
     Surrendering to the teasing, Junmyeon resumed eating and idly wondered what Kyungsoo was doing. The quiet, reliable attorney undoubtedly had enjoyed a peaceful morning and was probably halfway through Monday’s cases by now. The man was unflappable. Kyungsoo would never whine or force his friends onto Tinder. He should invite Kyungsoo out to brunch sometime, and only him.


	2. Simple

Kris Wu tried to live a simple life. Friday saw him waking up around eight and heading to the gym as usual, where he jogged and lifted before heading home to shower. Thermos of coffee in hand and dressed for the day, he went out for breakfast. _Sweet Starts_ was only thirteen minutes away from _Crown_ , which should have him at the restaurant around 10:30. Half an hour early for his official shift, but that was fine. He could sift through yesterday’s expenses and plan out the weekend, maybe.

A familiar pair of warm eyes crinkled at him as he walked in. “Good morning, Kris! How was the gym?” Yixing’s slim frame was behind the counter, sweet smile on his tired face. Kris frowned, crossing the short distance in a few strides, and leaned across the counter.

“Why are you here?” He squinted at Yixing, noting the slump in his shoulders and dark circles under half-lidded eyes. “You don’t work Friday mornings.” Yixing blinked calmly back at him with a soft smile that was probably meant to reassure but irked him instead. He prodded at Yixing’s dimple with a long finger. “Why are you working when you look exhausted?” Yixing gently swatted his hand away from his face, smile finally dropping.

“I’m okay, Kris. Mr. Thomas asked if I could help him this morning, and I said yes. Besides, it doesn’t hurt to make extra money.” Kris’s frown deepened. Yixing sighed, lowering his voice. “Look Kris, the man’s practically eighty years old. I’m not going to say no when he asks me for extra help. I appreciate your concern, but it’s not necessary.” Kris gave him a Look, which Yixing matched and held. He seemed more awake now, and Kris sighed before turning away towards the display.

“I’ll take a cranberry muffin and a banana.” The frown didn’t leave his lips, even as his gaze lingered on the chocolate-frosted cupcakes a few rows below the muffins. This always happened. Yixing always accepted any favors asked of him, regardless of how much he already had to do. The man would’ve taken the extra shift even without pay. Yixing used to run across campus for strangers, returning half-dead on his feet at some ungodly hour in the morning because “Kat’s car broke down and she needed help moving things” or “John’s bike was stolen so I went to help him look.” 

“Here you go. Stop worrying about me.” He took the food from Yixing, the Look still on his face. Yixing usually gave in to his Looks, everyone did. Kris knew how expressive his eyebrows could be, and this Look clearly said _Take Care of Yourself or I Will Forcefully Take Care of You Until You are Healthy and Stop Being Stupidly Self-Sacrificing._ Yixing was being exceptionally stubborn today, though. “Go eat your breakfast, Kris. I’ll see you later.” Ah, no. That wasn’t acceptable.

“Take tonight off.” Yixing’s shift at _Crown_ officially lasted until 10 p.m., though he always stuck around until Tao and Kris were ready to go. _Crown_ ’s official closing time was 2 a.m., and Kris usually left around midnight or so. Of course, Kris didn’t have to wake up at 5. He and Tao had done their best to adjust Yixing’s shifts around his second job, but the stubborn man insisted on taking whatever openings were available. As a result, Kris _knew_ Yixing was pretty much a zombie on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Fridays were supposed to be lighter so he could rest.“How long is your shift this morning? Don’t come in unless you manage to get at least six hours of sleep between now and tonight.”

“I’m off at eleven, so I’ll be coming in tonight.” Yixing left his spot behind the counter to trail Kris as he sat at one of the tiny tables. “We should get a bigger table just for you. Everyone knows you how ridiculous you look in our normal ones.” Kris rolled his eyes, biting into the muffin. He might’ve dismissed his concern, but Yixing hadn’t given in to his Look and wasn’t too tired to argue back, so Kris supposed things would be okay. The muffin was great, as usual.

“Make sure you take a nap before you come in. We pay you for good music.” Yixing huffed, going back behind the counter as more customers arrived. Kris scrolled through the headlines, finishing off his muffin. It was only 10:14, which left him plenty of time to eat his banana and make his slow way over to _Crown_. He opened up Tinder, swiping through a few profiles in the two minutes it took him to finish the fruit. What a great concept, Tinder. Hookups anytime, anywhere, with the occasional date. He’d started off using it as a joke, putting minimal effort into his profile. Then Tao had swiped right on at least thirty people before Kris caught him, and hey, turns out people in his surrounding radius found him attractive enough to sleep with based off a few pictures.

Yixing waved him over when Kris stood to leave, pushing a small box across the counter. He nodded towards the display. “There’s one in there for Tao, too. I know both of you are massive sugar fiends. Don’t bother pretending you’re too cool for cupcakes.” Kris begrudged him a smile, not missing the slight apology in his half-lidded eyes. _Sorry for worrying you all the time._

_***_

_“_ Hey, is that for me?”

Tao had perked up as soon as Kris entered, sharp eyes fixed on the lavender box. The tall boy—man, Kris corrected himself— bounded over, ring-heavy fingers tugging the box out of his hands. “Good morning, boss.” Thin lips pouted up at him, clever hands already opening the lid and removing one of the cakes.

“I told you not to call me that. You do more work than me, anyways.” Kris accepted the box and the remaining cake with a fond half-smirk at the man’s eagerness. Tao’s cupcake disappeared quickly. “What made your hard heart soften up this morning?”

“They’re from Yixing, not me.” Tao blinked at him.

“But he doesn’t work on Fridays…It _is_ Friday today right?” Kris nodded, strong brows and lips flattened. “Ahhhh, but he’s so tired all the time! He’s supposed to keep Friday mornings open.” Tao perched on the stool next to him, fingers tapping at his narrow chin. “Should I tell him I want him in on mornings to help with desserts or something? Make him come in and then force him to nap in the back or something?” Kris huffed, ruffling Tao’s carefully styled quiff before moving the strands back in place as the man protested.

“No use, Mr. Thomas asked him personally. You know he’d see right through you, and you’d have to handle the full weight of his disappointment for trying to take help away from an old man.” Tao sighed, slumping over on the counter. “And don’t bother asking him to take Fridays off either, I tried it. He’s coming in tonight.” Kris finished licking off the frosting and started on the cake.

“Man, why do you eat them like that? It’s disgusting.” Kris flicked the man’s well-defined nose, ignoring the squeal. Tao sighed again as Kris crumpled up the wrapper and dropped it into the box, adding his own wadded up napkin and wrapper. “Did he look okay at least? Not sick or anything?”

“He looked exhausted, as usual. I thought he was going to fall asleep on me, but he had enough energy to argue with me.” Kris discarded the box and pulled out his folio, slipping on his reading glasses. “You can try talking sense into him again tonight, but I doubt he’ll listen.”

“Mm.” Tao was silent for a few moments, watching him add expenses and distribute funds. “Hey, Kris?”

Kris grunted, finishing yesterday’s balance. “Why do you still wear those? Your contacts should be enough.” What a brat.

“Shut up and let me work.”

***

Six o’clock rolled around, with Yixing looking no more tired than he had seemed this morning. Kris took it as a sign that the man had taken the urgently-needed nap. “Hey.” Same smile, a bit worn around the edges. Kris patted his shoulder as the man slipped past him to change, trying to ignore the sharpness under the cloth. Tao caught his eye from across the floor, head slightly tilted in question. Kris nodded, Tao answering with one of his own before turning back to the family with a smile and pulling out the mother’s seat for her.

Yixing’s mellow tenor drifted through the restaurant soon after, and Kris let himself focus on his own tasks. 

“Thanks for the cake this morning.” Tao hovered next to Yixing as Kris finished hanging up the last few glasses. “Kris said you started working Fridays?” Yixing rolled his sleepy eyes, taking a long sip of his orange juice.

“Both of you worry too much.” He was back in his own clothes, hoodie sleeves partially covering the talented hands wrapped around his glass. “I’m okay, I promise.”

Kris wiped down the counter a last time and came around to sit on the other side of Yixing, effectively sandwiching the man. “How’s your grandma doing?”

His smile came back full-force, dimples and all. “Better. The cough went away, and she’s back to walking on her own now. She keeps asking about you guys.” Yixing finished his drink and got up to wash it, but Kris stood and smoothly took over.

“Tell her I miss her too! We should go see her soon!” Tao was beaming, and Kris couldn't stop his own smile. Yixing’s grandma was old, far older than he was comfortable with, but she and her husband had raised Yixing throughout high school and college. Kris had towered over the woman at their graduation, but that hadn't stopped her from dragging him down into a tight congratulatory hug.

Kris’s phone buzzed, lighting up with a notification from one of the profiles he swiped though that morning. He unlocked it, typing out a short _shift just ended_ before turning back to the conversation. Tao met his eyes with a suggestive smirk.

“Plans for tonight, there?” Another buzz, Kris glanced down. She had responded with her address. 

“Yeah, seems like it.” Tao cackled as Yixing shook his head. 

“One of these days, you’re going to catch something. Or settle down. How many years has it been since your last relationship?” Kris snorted.

“Things will happen as they’re meant to happen. Take care of yourselves. Tao, take care of Yixing. See you tomorrow.” Kris grabbed his coat before heading out, Tao’s smoky voice whining at Yixing to get more sleep and take breaks when he needed them trailing behind. 

***

The woman lived half an hour away from him by cab. Kris made it back home around 2:30 a.m., slightly rumpled but content. The wet kisses and hot, grasping touches had been worth the travel time, though he wouldn’t be going back anytime soon. He shed his clothes, sparing a second to look over the new scratches across his back before stepping into the shower. Her scent and touch washed away easily,and Kris slipped under the covers smelling like no one but himself.

***

Saturday morning went similarly, spare the gym and Yixing. He was relieved to see Mr. Thomas behind the counter instead. “Good morning, son. I managed to keep our boy from working weekend mornings at least.” Something eased in Kris’s chest at his words, and he hoped Yixing was taking the extra time to sleep in. Without Yixing to converse with, he quietly ate his muffin, scrolling through the headlines before switching over to Tinder again.

Well, this was nice. Kim Junmyeon, 27, senior officer at Kim Law’s junior branch. “Bit young for a big-shot,” Kris mumbled as he scrolled through the man’s pictures. He was…cute. Nice body, pretty smile. He snorted at the godawful selfie, taken too close to the man’s face and showing his eyes opened wide with pink lips smushed into a dramatic pout. Kris flipped through the pictures and hit the star before tucking the device away and heading to work.

His phone buzzed a short while later. The cute, goofy lawyer had liked him back. He made a mental note to send a message during lunch, since the man seemed more like the dating type than a spontaneous hookup.

***

“Another hookup?” Tao pointed at Kris’s phone with his fork, the screen open to the empty chat page with Junmyeon.

“Not sure yet. His pictures don’t give me much to judge on aside from appearance, and his profile is too generic to say for sure.” Tao waved for his phone, and Kris pulled up the profile before sliding it over. 

“Hmm, he’s cute. I agree though, this doesn’t say much about him.” Tao pushed his phone back, turning his attention back to his pasta. 

Kris hummed in response, sending an _Are all your selfies that seductive?_ before flipping his phone over. Nothing too outrageous, but flirty enough to express his interest. He didn’t want to scare the man away.

***

His phone didn’t buzz until pre-dinner rush. Kris ignored it until he could step away from the bar for a few minutes, snorting quietly at the _Play your cards right and maybe you’ll find out._ Looks like the man had a sense of humor, at least.

_I’ll do my best, but you’ll have to give me something to work with. ;)_

His phone buzzed again just as Kris was heading back to the bar, a quick glance revealing something about his use of the winky face. Yixing came in then, looking more awake than yesterday, and Kris pushed Kim Junmyeon out of his mind.

***

It wasn’t until later, after Kris had stripped down for bed, when he checked his phone again. _How dare you send me a winky face_ and _How exactly are you expecting me to reply to that?_ Kris smiled, sending a direct _Grab a drink with me. I’ll even make it for you._ before plugging in his phone and settling in for the night. Definitely not the hookup type, then. He could work with that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahHHhhHHHHHhhHHHh thank you for all the kudos and nice comments!


	3. Tidy

This whole Tinder thing was quite possibly one of the most embarrassing things Junmyeon had ever allowed to happen, but he had to admit it was entertaining. When the first message arrived, he was too swamped in errands to notice.

Once he got home and checked his phone, he called Minseok in a panic. 

_“Hello?”_

“Minnie, that bartender Tinder guy messaged me.”

_“Congrats, how did you reply?”_

Minseok wasn’t understanding the situation, clearly. 

“Are you busy? Are you home? Can you just come down and look at it for me?”

_“Are you serious?”_

“Yes, I’m serious! Do you have anything better to do?” Junmyeon paced around his kitchen, absently rearranging the few apples and lemons in his fruit bowl. He heard a heavy sigh, the faint rustles of what was probably Minseok getting up from his couch.

_“Fine, I’ll be there in a few.”_ Junmyeon thanked him before hanging up. He paced some more, eyes sweeping over his living room and kitchen. He should really tidy up sometime, but…nothing, really. Nothing was actively stopping him from cleaning up, he just…didn’t do it. Guiltily, he straightened a few of the magazines lying on the coffee table. Did he even read those? He couldn’t remember ever sitting down just to read a magazine.

Minseok rang just as he had deposited an armful of magazines next to his trash bin. He raised a well-shaped brow at the stack once Junmyeon opened the door, dressed casually for once in sweats and an old school shirt. 

“Are you finally cleaning up around here?”

“Read this and tell me how to respond.” Junmyeon shoved his phone into his hand, chat already open. “He’s flirting with me already, right from the first message. Why is he doing that?” He hovered next to him.

“I don’t know Jun, maybe because it’s a dating app? The point of it is to score hookups or dates. Besides, he didn’t say anything outrageous. He’s just making fun of your dumb selfie.” Minseok backed out of the chat, scrolling through Junmyeon’s profile and stopping at the picture. “It’s a good conversation starter, I think. Nice job.”

“I _didn’t make my profile,_ Minnie. You did.” Junmyeon swiped over the picture before reopening the chat, cheeks aflame. 

“Right, you’re welcome. Anyways, just respond.” He tried handing the phone back to Junmyeon.

“No, I called you down to help me!” He pushed the device at Minseok, who took it with a roll of his almond-shaped eyes before he typed something out.

“There, I sent it. Can we have dinner now? I was going to make something before you called. You’re welcome to join me.” Junmyeon slid the phone into his pocket as he followed him out, a slight pressure easing from his chest. At least something had been accomplished besides work.

Kris Wu responded before they were even out the door, which led to Junmyeon squawking at Minseok for making his first response so suggestive. Then he read Kris’s message, and the affronting emoji spurred him into action before he could think. 

“Wait shit, I just sent two messages in a row. I didn’t really mean to do that, how do I fix it?” Minseok glanced at his phone before stepping out of the elevator. 

“You can’t. There’s nothing to fix, just forget about it and come eat with me.”

***

“Your place is a mess, Jun. I don’t know how you can live like that,” Minseok said as he plated the fish. Junmyeon glanced around at his spotless surroundings and felt another pang of guilt, busying himself with setting the table—counter, really, Minseok had one of those kitchen islands like himself.

“It’s not _that_ bad,” he mumbled, straightening a fork.

“Well yeah, of course it’s not awful, but it’s still kind of messy, don’t you think?” Minseok nudged him aside, setting the food down. “Better clean it up sometime soon, you don’t want to trip over something mid-hookup.”

“Excuse you, who says that’s even going to happen?” Junmyeon felt his cheeks burning. “He probably won’t even reply to me, and then I can delete Tinder like I said I would before you started this.” He stabbed into his meal, rapidly swallowing small bites. 

“Okay, Jun. But if things do work out, I expect a proper thanks. You can send me some flowers or a cake, make me best man at your wedding, whatever is most convenient.” Minseok laughed, dodging his indignant swat.

He helped with the few dishes and ended up on Minseok’s couch, watching an old Seinfeld episode. 

“He still hasn’t replied.” Minseok blinked at him, and Junmyeon felt his cheeks reddening again. He fought down the urge to do something dumb, like cover his face with his hands or sink into the couch cushions.

“I thought that’s what you wanted?” Junmyeon huffed, peeking at his phone to check. No new messages from Kris Wu. There were, annoyingly enough, other notifications from Tinder. He deleted them, chewing on the inside of his cheek until Minseok prodded him.

“I said it’s what I expected. That doesn’t mean I want to be left on read; nobody wants that.” He drew his legs up on the cushion, leaning against Minseok. 

Minseok hummed. “He’s probably working or something. Bartender, remember?” Honestly, how could he forget. 

“His bio makes him sound like an asshole.” Junmyeon scrolled through the profile again. “It’s so cocky. Do you think people actually fall for it?”

“I don’t know, Jun, it sounds like you currently are.” He frowned, looking up to see Minseok staring down at him, small mouth quirked in amusement.

***

Two hours later, still no reply from Kris Wu.

Junmyeon sorted through all the mail that had piled up, clearing a good section of his counter. He washed, dried, and put away all of the dishes in the sink. He did his laundry, outlining one contract while it was washing and another during the dry cycle. He set a reminder to take some of his suits in to the dry cleaner’s on Monday, taking a second to check Tinder in case his phone had missed a notification.

No notifications. No reply.

“Stupid,” he muttered as he re-shelved old books.

“You expected this to happen,” as he wiped down every surface and vacuumed the carpeting. 

At least his flat was clean now.

***

Sunday morning, Kim Junmyeon woke up and had a small heart attack.

_Grab a drink with me. I’ll even make it for you._

This was…better than expected, though he knew Kris was most likely just looking for a hookup. Still. Even if it was just for sex, someone who looked like Kris wanted to hookup with _him_. 

“Out of my league, my ass,” he whispered as he sent a simple _When?_

He extended his jog an extra half-block, feeling more energetic than usual. Post-shower, he couldn't resist sending a smug group text to Minseok, Jongdae, and Chanyeol. He received an immediate congratulations from Jongdae, accompanied by a flurry of celebratory emojis and hearts.

A few minutes later, there was a buzz at his door before an extremely smug Minseok was standing in his kitchen. 

“Congrats, look at you.” Minseok helped himself to some coffee. “And you even cleaned up, wow. I’m proud of you.” Sharp eyes twinkled at him over the mug. Junmyeon couldn’t tamp down the massive grin spasming across his face. 

***

An hour later, Junmyeon heard the tell-tale chime of another message.

_Tonight, unless you've already got plans?_

Holy shit. Did he have any plans? No, most likely not. Sundays were his free days.

_No, tonight works for me._ Holy shit, he was going to meet Kris _._

Kris’s response came only a few minutes later, Junmyeon’s heart rate accelerating as he unlocked his phone.

_Great, dinner and then my place for drinks?_

His face was on fire. Despite this, Junmyeon managed to work out the details of his date _holy shit a date_ with Kris and ended up exchanging numbers for easier communication. He was going on an actual date with someone who looked like he belonged on the cover of _Vogue._

_Guys I’m meeting him tonight and we’re getting dinner and drinks together!!!!!!_

This time, Chanyeol was the first to reply, congratulating him before re-adding Baekhyun to the chat. Ah right, Junmyeon had forgotten to do that. Minseok replied, suggesting he wear one of his red shirts, before Junmyeon was reminded of why he had removed Baek in the first place ( _just wear nothing hyung he’ll love that also why did you kick me out)_. 

***

He was screaming internally. What if he had overdressed? They had decided on casual, so Junmyeon had paired his button-down with jeans because jeans were casual, right? But what if his shirt was overdoing things? His hair looked fine at least, and he could probably just unbutton another button if he looked too formal.

Then he saw Kris Wu. Dressed similarly, but looking effortlessly more sophisticated. His thighs and arms strained nicely against his clothes, and his hands looked like they were twice the size of Junmyeon’s, and he had been leaning against the side of the entrance but now he was standing straight up and _shit_ he was tall. 

“Hey. Junmyeon, right?” Junmyeon automatically corrected his pronunciation, then immediately cringed at his own actions, cheeks lighting up like a beacon. Shit, Kris’s voice was nice. Low, resonating, smooth. And his smile was really cute, gummy and bright—shit, was he laughing at him? His face grew even warmer. 

“Sorry. Hi. Kris. Hi, I’m Junmyeon.” He was. Dying. This was absolutely humiliating. “I’m sorry.” He stared dumbly at the large hand in front of him. Kris had nice fingers. Kris had a nice everything so far, honestly. Oh, the nice fingers were waving at him. Shit, he was supposed to shake Kris’s hand two minutes ago. Junmyeon shut his eyes, letting out a huff. “I’m sorry.” Shit.

“Hey, it’s okay. No need to be nervous.” Kris had a nice laugh too, wow, he really needed to stop. “Let’s go sit down.” Junmyeon nodded, shuffling through the door Kris held for him. 

“So, what do you like?” Kris asked after pulling out his chair for him when they reached the table.

“You,” Junmyeon blurted out, then proceeded to cover his burning face with his hands. He was pretty sure his blush now extended past his neck. He was probably glowing.

“Well, that’s a relief.” Kris wasn’t laughing at him, thankfully, but then Junmyeon peeked through his fingers and saw that Kris was _smirking_ instead. Holy _fuck_ , that was a sexy look. Kris was a sexy man. “I was starting to have doubts for a second there.”

Junmyeon downed half of his water. “Um, I like reading. Baking, too, I guess, and cooking in general. I, uh, go to the gym every day and like running.” God, he sounded so boring. “That’s probably really boring, I’m sorry.”

“Hey.” Kris reached across the table, placing one of those big hands on top of his. Kris’s hand was so _warm_. “Stop apologizing for nothing. I think you’re cute, and everything you just told me makes you seem sweet and even cuter, not boring.”

“Okay,” Junmyeon squeaked, swallowing another _sorry_ that was clawing its way up his throat. He did his best to calm down. They managed to order smoothly, and soon he was carrying on a normal conversation with Kris. Their food arrived, Junmyeon asked a trivial question about Kris’s job, and suddenly Kris was choking to death.

“I’m—fine,” Kris managed to get out between hacks, waving off Junmyeon’s panicked apologies but accepting the water being shoved at him. “I choked on my food, sorry. What was your question?” Junmyeon blinked at him before bursting into giggles, nervous energy bringing out more than usual. Kris's cheeks were pink, and he looked absolutely, grumpily, _adorable._

Dinner went fine after that, and when Kris ended up flat on the floor when leaving the elevator, Junmyeon didn’t hesitate to help him up. If he left his hand on Kris’s elbow all the way to his door, well. Kris didn’t object.

“Make yourself comfortable, please. What do you want to drink? I have most.”

“I have work tomorrow morning, so preferably nothing too strong,” Junmyeon stood awkwardly next to the couch. Kris’s place was nice. Minimalistic, mostly monochromatic, with a small collection of pictures throughout the room. Baby Kris with someone who was probably his mother, college-age Kris with a dark-haired, dimpled young man, Kris with the same young man except both of them had blonde hair…Junmyeon made his way from picture to picture. The one on his coffee table looked recent. Kris with his arms around two others, one being the same dimpled one (dark-haired again) and the other a feline-eyed, whitish haired young man. 

“Tao and Yixing. Tao’s family owns the restaurant I work at, and Yixing’s my college roommate and pianist at the restaurant.” Kris came up beside him, handing him a tumbler. “Gin and tonic, a little lighter on the gin for you.”

“Thank you,” Junmyeon took a sip as he followed Kris’s lead, sitting down on the couch. The nerves from earlier were starting to return, now that he was sitting in Kris’s living room. Another, larger sip, and Junmyeon dared to look over at Kris, who was already looking at him, yikes. He blushed, eyes darting away and back.

“So,” Kris licked his lips, and Junmyeon stared at his tongue. “I don’t want you to feel pressured into anything, and please tell me if you’re uncomfortable, but right now I’d really like to kiss you.”

_Oh._ Junmyeon stopped breathing, eyes still glued to Kris's small but full mouth, on lips that looked as though they’d be petal-soft against his. He took another sip of his drink before tearing his gaze away to set his glass on the table. “Yes.”

“Yeah?” Kris watched his face carefully. He nodded, tongue darting out to lick his own lips, not missing the way Kris’s eyes followed. 

Kris put down his drink and moved closer. Kris was so closer to him now than he’d been all night, and Junmyeon could’ve counted his eyelashes but Kris’s big, warm hand was cupping his cheek so gently and his handsome face was getting even closer and—

Kris’s soft lips landed on his, and Junmyeon squeaked. Loudly, which made Kris pull back in surprise.

“You okay?”

Ah, fuck. Junmyeon blushed, face aflame. “Yes, sorry, that was…I don’t know what that was actually, sorry—“ Kris had cut him off mid-apology, smirking before leaning in again, thank _god._ Junmyeon tangled his fingers in Kris’s hair, which was as fluffy as it seemed.

Kris pulled him halfway onto his lap, chests pressed together, and Junmyeon felt small in the part of his mind that wasn’t focused on _Kris,_ the feel and pressure and smell of him. The other man’s chest was broader than his, big hands spanning most of his back. Kris’s tongue nudged at his lip, and Junmyeon made another embarrassing noise.

“Still okay?” Kris pulled back, arms firmly around him. He nodded, tugging Kris back. His hands traced the sharp edges of his face, fingers running over the piercings in his ears. This was amazing; Kris was amazing. Still, he had work the next day. How unfortunate.

“Would you like me to walk you home?”

Junmyeon laughed, pressing a kiss to Kris’s cheek. Both of them were slightly disheveled. His first few buttons had come undone, and there was a reddish mark just below Kris’s left collarbone.

“No, thank you for offering though. I can manage.” Kris walked him to the elevator.

“So, this was nice.” He looked up, smiling. Kris sounded almost shy, his eyes focused on the lights above the elevator doors.

“It was. So, uh…” He was back to blushing. “See you again sometime?”

Kris’s gaze snapped to his, and Junmyeon’s cheeks reddened even further. 

“Yes. That would be great.” 

The elevator dinged.

“Fantastic. Well, uh, have a good night?” He was awkwardly between the doors, hand still in Kris’s. Kris leaned down and kissed him, stepping back with a self-satisfied grin.

“Goodnight. Text me when you’re home.” Junmyeon nodded, a little dazed.

***

Monday, he followed his routine as usual, only to find someone standing outside the building already. Junmyeon squinted.

The boy was taller than him, dressed nicely in pressed slacks and a button-down, and was dozing off against the side of the entrance. Junmyeon coughed softly, startling the boy into attention.

“Oh! I’m so sorry. Good morning Mr. Kim.” The boy’s heavy-lidded eyes still seemed a little sleepy, a blush rising to the tops of his tanned cheeks.

“Good morning!” Junmyeon grinned. “You’re one of our new interns, right? What’s your name?”

“Ah I’m sorry, I should’ve said that first. Or not first, but you know, just—I’m Jongin.” The poor thing was so nervous. Junmyeon made a mental note to ask Minseok to pick up something from the bakery as he unlocked the door, ushering him in.

“Nice to meet you, Jongin! The applications didn’t include a picture, which is why I had to ask. Your resume was very impressive by the way, and your statement was wonderfully written.” His words calmed Jongin down a bit at least, though his blush had darkened.

“Wow, thank you sir. I’m really grateful to be chosen for this position; I know you don’t often take summer interns.” This boy still hadn’t looked him in the eyes. 

“Please feel free to call me Junmyeon! No one calls me sir, and Mr. Kim is my father. Yes, the intern thing—My father’s firm was unfortunately too busy to manage any sort of additional work this summer, which is why you’ve been assigned to us. You didn’t have to come in until nine though, sorry about that.” He flicked on the lights, leaving his coat on the rack. 

“No no! The, uh, the email did say nine I just…” Junmyeon shot him a smile, sending Minseok a quick text. Jongin seemed highly embarrassed. “I…didn’t want to risk missing anything so I thought…”

“It’s great that you’re so excited, really. Kyungsoo, whom you’ll be shadowing, usually gets here around 8:20 so you won’t have to wait too long. I can show you around the office for now if you’d like?” Jongin nodded, eyes wide. Junmyeon’s smile widened, and his heart melted when he tentatively smiled back.

“Wonderful, we’ll start with my office here.”

Minseok soon arrived with a box of muffins for everyone, followed by Kyungsoo, who seemed shaken by the fact he had an intern (“I sent you the memo a week ago, remember?” “Right.”). Jongin’s nerves had gradually lessened during the tour as Junmyeon rambled on, as he had hoped. Jongin was much calmer when meeting Kyungsoo. Hopefully the shorter man’s bluntness wouldn’t throw him off too much.

Minseok stopped by his office once Jongin was settled, knowing smirk on his face.

“So. How was your date?” Junmyeon’s blush appeared full-force.

“We’re at work, Min, please.”

“Ahhhhh,” Minseok came around his desk, leaning down beside him. “Does that mean it was good?” Junmyeon blushed harder. “Is that a yes?”

“Good morning hyung, did you and Kris fuck?” Jongdae’s annoyingly happy face appeared in the doorway, beaming from cheekbone to cheekbone.

“That is not office-appropriate language, nor is it appropriate subject matter. Shame on both of you.” Junmyeon put down his pen. “And no, we did not. I’m seeing him again this weekend, though.”

Minseok cut in with a shoulder pat and cheery “you’re welcome!” while Jongdae laughed, clapping. 

“Anyways, Dae, did you need something?” 

“Right, yes.” The man straightened, smile dimming. “The other intern was supposed to arrive half an hour ago. Are we sure he’s coming in today?” Huh, strange. Junmyeon pulled up Sehun’s application.

“Yeah, both of them were scheduled to start today. That’s odd. Jongin actually arrived pretty early.” Junmyeon fired off a text to Sehun, who responded immediately.

_yeah im here_

“He says he’s here?” Junmyeon got up from his desk.

Jongdae furrowed his brows. “Oh. Maybe he came in during our conversation.”

Junmyeon left his office, trailed by Jongdae and Minseok. Another tall boy was standing in their lobby, right in front of Jongdae’s desk, tapping away on his phone. Shirt untucked, converse on his feet, and platinum blond hair, Sehun was dressed more casually than Jongin. He also seemed far less eager than Jongin, not bothering to look up as the men approached.

“Hello there! You must be Sehun.” Junmyeon smiled. “Glad to see you’re finally here. Did you have trouble finding the office?”

“…No.” Sehun finished tapping on his phone before tucking it into his pocket, dark eyes already hopelessly bored. “Sorry I’m late.” He didn’t sound sorry at all, but Junmyeon could appreciate the attempt at least. Jongdae gave him a concerned look from behind his desk.

“Right. Well, you’ll be shadowing me, so I’ll show you around before we get started, okay?” He received a slight nod. This kid, unlike Jongin, didn’t seem interested at all. His resume had been just as impressive, and his statement made it _sound_ like he wanted the position, but… Junmyeon peeked back at Sehun, who was silently following. Same blank expression, lips forming a slight pout. “I’ll let it go since it’s your first day, but we really do stick to professional attire here, so I’m afraid you’ll have to swap out the sneakers and tuck your shirt in tomorrow.” Sehun let out a long-suffering sigh, slowly tucking in his shirt.

Sehun was silent for the rest of the tour, sighing again when they reached Junmyeon’s office. “So, uh, that’s it. This is where we’ll be spending most of our time.” He was running out of steam already. Jongin hadn’t said much, but at least he seemed like he wanted to learn. Sehun was just…blank.

Junmyeon pulled one of his chairs to the side of his desk, clearing off a corner for Sehun. The boy’s expression didn’t change.

“Okay, you can sit here. I’ll give you a few faulty contracts to look over and find the mistakes in, and then I’ll review your work after lunch.” Junmyeon tried another friendly smile, but Sehun only nodded without looking at him. “Please feel free to ask me any questions, whatever they might be. I’ll be right here.” Another nod. Junmyeon stifled a sigh. “Lunch is at one, but if you get hungry before then, we have plenty of food and snacks in the break room. Minseok, the short, brown-haired one you met earlier, brought muffins this morning, so feel free to have one of those too.” Another nod, and Junmyeon wilted a bit. 

“Okay, well…I’ll just…print those papers for you then.” Junmyeon sat, opening his laptop to locate the files. Another sigh from Sehun. This boy sighed like Junmyeon had repeatedly dealt him personal wrongs. He bit his lip, printing the contracts and scooting over to get them, along with a blank legal pad and a pen, setting it all in front of Sehun.

“Here you go. Don’t worry about trying to catch every mistake, I just want to see what you know already.” Another smile went ignored. “Okay…I’ll…be here.”

Sehun sighed again, the most aggressive one yet. Junmyeon barely stopped himself from flinching.

“Look. Mr. Kim—”

“Junmyeon,” He corrected automatically before flinching for real. “Sorry. Please continue.”

“Junmyeon. I’m sorry, and this is no offense to you or your company, but I _really_ don’t want to be here. I didn’t want to apply, and I definitely didn’t think I would be accepted.”

“But why not?” Junmyeon blurted out. Sehun furrowed his brows at him. “Why didn’t you think you’d be accepted, I mean. Your application was perfect.”

“My dad wanted me to, so I did.”

“You…You applied for and accepted an internship because your dad wants you to?” Junmyeon blinked. “Did you do that for law school too?”

Sehun seemed frustrated. “Yes. Well, not really, but that’s another story. The issue now is that I don't want to be here.” Sehun had a slight lisp that was starting to come through. Junmyeon guessed it was linked to his agitation.

“Okay, well, we did have plenty of other applicants. We can find someone else to fill your spot, and—”

“No! I don’t want to, but I have to work here.” Junmyeon’s patience was beginning to thin.

“You just told me repeatedly that you don’t want to be here, so we clearly shouldn’t hold you against your will. You’re here in place of someone who might actually enjoy working here, and it wouldn’t be fair of us to keep a position away from someone who’s qualified and wants the experience.” Sehun seemed extremely frustrated now, and Junmyeon considered calling Minseok over to help with this. Or maybe Baekhyun, to lighten the mood a little.

“No, I—Just forget it.” Sehun pulled one of the contracts towards him, scanning it with an expression even more closed off than before.

“Sehun—”

“No.” Junmyeon felt helplessly overwhelmed.

***

Sehun’s contracts were almost perfect, as Junmyeon had expected from his application. Junmyeon had let Baekhyun and Chanyeol take Sehun out to lunch, after Kyungsoo had denied their request (“He told us no and shut the door in our faces; we didn’t even get to talk to Jongin!”). He himself had lunch with Jongdae and Minseok, who interrogated him for details about his date. Kyungsoo seemed to be fine with Jongin (“He’s pretty nervous, but smart enough.”), and things were going well. Sehun was miraculously more receptive after lunch, even a little apologetic for his earlier behavior. Junmyeon made a mental note to thank Chanyeol and Baekhyun.

It was a good day. Just a few more days until he saw Kris again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was...long. and it took a long time to write and edit, yikes. also i'm moving back in a week or so, which means updates will be slower because i will be busy with classes but i will most definitely see this through to the end. I spent a while figuring out the plots and conflicts, so i'm not wasting that. thank you so much for all of the nice comments, kudos, and bookmarks!!!


	4. Shift

“Good morning, Kris. How was the date?” Yixing’s warm smile greeted him from behind the counter.

“Good morning, Yixing. The date was fine.” Kris took the muffin and banana, Yixing trailing behind him to the table.

“Just fine?” He propped himself up on his elbows, chin resting on delicate hands. “Nothing else? Are you going to have a second one?” The mischievous twinkle offset the sleepiness.

“You’re being awfully nosy, Xing.” Yixing’s smile only grew sweeter, dimple coming out full-force. Kris rolled his eyes. “The date went well, Junmyeon is really cute, and we’re meeting again this weekend.”

“That’s wonderful. I’m happy for you, Kris.” Kris huffed as Yixing’s eyes softened. “This is really good for you, you know? It’ll be the first time since—“

“Eat this.” Kris broke off half of the banana, fighting down the beginnings of a blush. He pushed the banana against the other man’s mouth. “How are you doing? Are you sleeping enough?” Yixing blinked at him, mouth full. “Are you eating enough?” He chewed, swallowing pointedly. Kris rolled his eyes.

“I’m fine. I can take care of myself, you know. You don’t need to do this every morning.” Yixing stole part of his muffin. Kris pretended not to notice, scrolling through his phone.

“Not every morning, just—”

“Most of them,” Yixing finished for him. Kris gave him a Look, a _Don’t Think Your Asking Me About my Date Distracted Me from How You Sank into that Chair._ He put his phone down.

“Is your back hurting again?” Yixing sighed, and Kris _knew_ it. “When did it start? Last week? Damn it, Yixing.” He scowled. Yixing’s college injury flared up whenever he overexerted himself, which, given his tendency to ignore his own discomfort and push himself to the brink, was too often.

“I’ll be fine in a day or two, you know that. It’s nothing serious.” The other man dropped his smile, and Kris studied his face. Darker bags under kind eyes, slumped shoulders, skin a shade paler than normal…Yixing drew himself up once he realized what Kris was doing, but he’d already seen it.

“If you don’t take care of yourself, it’ll _become_ something serious.”

Yixing sighed. “I’ll be okay, Kris. You don’t have to take care of me anymore.” Right. _Thanks for the reminder, Yixing._ Kris nodded, gathering up his trash. Was this how his mother had felt when he told her he wanted to go to college in another country? He sighed before he could stop himself, standing from the too-small chair.

“Alright, well. Take care of yourself then. See you tomorrow.” He slipped his phone back in his pocket. Yixing watched him, seeming worried about _him_ now, and this wasn’t how things were supposed to work. Kris wasn’t the one working himself into an early grave. Why couldn’t the man worry about himself for once?

“Kris.” Yixing’s soft hand was around his wrist. “I’m sorry. I appreciate you and your concern. Just stop worrying so much, okay?” Kris nodded, ruffling the man’s hair. The worrying wouldn't stop; it never did.

“It’s fine, go back to work.” He half-smiled, heart pinching at the apology in those sleepy eyes, and gave Yixing a pat before walking out. 

***

“He needs to take better care of himself.” Tao nodded, watching Kris run through the inventory lists.

“His back is acting up again, he looks like he could fall asleep at any minute—”

“He usually looks like that.” Kris glared. “Sorry, please continue.”

“He looks like he could fall asleep any place, any time, and I genuinely think he’s overworking himself again.” Tao hummed, swapping Kris’s finished list for a new one.

“Yeah, but that’s nothing new.” He put a hand on his shoulder, and Kris frowned aggressively. “Look. You have to admit that you’re prone to worrying, which is fine and we all appreciate you for it.” Kris sighed, and Tao squeezed his shoulder. “No, really. We love you for it, but you should remember that we’re all adults.” As if he could forget.

“I know.” Kris finished the list, pushing it over. “I’m well aware of that, but that doesn’t mean I want to watch my best friend self-destruct.”

“Wh—Kris, what the fuck.” Tao’s mouth opened and closed a few times. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting?”

“No.” He met the other man’s disbelief with a flat look. “It always starts like this. He gets too tired, his injury flairs up, he ignores my advice, and eventually he ends up in the hospital for a little while. Every time. I’ve known him for years, Tao.” It happened nearly every year, and Kris went through a small crisis each time. He flipped through the completed forms before shoving the stack away. “If you think I’m overreacting, fine. I’ll stop. But—” He got up, walking around the counter to pour himself some water. “—Just pay closer attention to him and you’ll see what I mean. Then try to stop yourself from worrying like I do.”

***

Friday, Kris had breakfast at home. The past few days were full of the same “stop worrying about me, Kris” and “I’ll be okay” with the same tired smile. He felt tired just from watching Yixing. The man refused to take any nights off, and Tao was now equally concerned. A tiny, naive part of Kris had thought the two of them combined would’ve been able to persuade Yixing’s stubborn ass into taking a break, but no.

His phone buzzed, and a smile broke through his irritated frown. The past few days had also been full of Junmyeon’s cute little texts.

_Good morning Kris! Hope you have a good day! :) Remember to have a good lunch, and I hope Yixing is doing better!_

Junmyeon had started the habit with a goodnight text after their first date. He responded to Kris’s answering goodnight with a good morning text at _six a.m.,_ and they had continued the trend. Junmyeon was an early sleeper and early riser, which meant Kris rarely answered his texts quickly, but the man didn’t stop. Instead, he started sending the texts closer to Kris’s own wakeup time, which…Kris didn’t know how to feel about the whole situation.

He was so…endearing. Everything about him had been so cute, and Kris kind of wanted to slap himself for choking during dinner and later falling on his face when they were _almost_ in his apartment. Thankfully Junmyeon had laughed so cutely both times that he didn’t regret it too much. Their make-out was great too, and Kris looked forward to Sunday.

The issue with the entire thing was the lack of issues. Monday, Kris had found a rambling message from Junmyeon about some new intern who apparently didn’t like him ( _I’m sure he’s just shy or something, there’s no way he doesn’t like you,_ only to have Junmyeon tell him that _No, we have a shy intern too and he likes me! Sehun just hates me already for some reason. :(((_ ). Junmyeon’s small intern crisis ended up resolving, and Kris had ranted to him about Yixing ( _Yixing (that guy from the pictures you saw) doesn’t know when to take a break and keeps telling me to stop worrying about him when anyone with eyes can see that he’s struggling._ ) Junmyeon’s enthusiasm made him easy to talk to. Like a…small animal or something. Soft and understanding. Kris could easily imagine Junmyeon as a cat or rabbit (probably more rabbit, given how nervous he had been at the start of their date), and he still wanted to date him.

Maybe that was the issue. Dating as an ongoing process rather than one or two meetings before fucking and leaving. His last girlfriend, two years ago, had only stayed for five months. His last boyfriend had been Yixing, and their relationship consisted of two nice weeks and one week of intense _Something Feels Wrong_ before they both realized they were only romantic when drunk and platonic all other times. That, and dating his roommate became too awkward. 

He didn’t have a reason for not dating, other than wanting to focus on work and liking the routine he’d built. Hookups were easier to find and didn’t involve too much talking, so he did those instead. His longterm life goals revolved more around his retirement funds and job security rather than who would be with him throughout the journey.

_Good morning Jun, same to you. I’ll update you on Yixing after work tonight._

Junmyeon replied within a few minutes with more smileys and _Okay, hope it’s good news!,_ and Kris wanted to die a little.

***

Yixing looked like he was upright and moving through sheer willpower. 

“You’re taking tonight off.” Tao came over when he saw Kris cornering a weakly protesting Yixing.

“What’s going on?” Tao wedged himself between Kris and the bar, pulling the three of them to the back. Kris let go of Yixing’s hood as Tao studied them. “Ah. Yixing, you look dead. Go home.”

“Both of you are overreacting.” Yixing’s bags had only grown darker over the past few days. He sighed as Kris gripped his chin, allowing himself to be inspected. “Really.”

“Home.” Kris stepped back, scowl firmly in place. “Damn it, Yixing. You looked awful yesterday, and you look even worse today. Why are you doing this?” Tao wrapped an arm around Yixing’s slumped shoulders.

“I don’t—Honestly, I’m okay, I just—” Kris’s irritation was quickly replaced by concern. He put a hand on Yixing’s back as Tao drew him closer. Yixing paused, sucked in a breath, and shook them both off. “I’ll go home.”

Tao latched onto Kris’s arm as both of them watched Yixing go through some kind of internal argument. “I…Would it be okay—Could I take tomorrow off too?”

“Please do.”

“Of course!”

He and Tao answered simultaneously. They were rewarded with a sweet smile, fraying at the edges from exhaustion. Kris’s chest hurt. 

“Thanks guys. See you later.” They watched him leave before Tao turned to him.

“You were right.”

“Thanks, I didn’t want to be.” Tao’s thin lips flattened, twisting from worry. Kris detached himself from him, heading back to work.

_He was worse today, but we managed to push him into going home. He’s taking tomorrow off, too. Hope you sleep well._

_***_

Sunday came, and Kris was nervous. The first date had been different; he’d gone in with no expectations. Now, he’d had one date and a week’s worth of steady conversation with Junmyeon, and he really wanted things to continue. 

They were going to start with a walk around the park before dinner, and Kris wished he hadn’t suggested it. What if he tripped again? Or walked too fast or too slow? What if he tripped, fell into Junmyeon, and knocked him over? The other man was much smaller than he was, even if he had felt solid under his shirt. Kris would squash him.

_Hey, I’m here._ He could seem calm through his texts, at least.

_I’m almost there!!!! I can see you!!!!!_

Kris almost laughed at all the exclamation points before the message really sank him. Junmyeon could see him? He looked around, and oh—a small, well-dressed man was excitedly waving at him from across the street. Awkwardly, he waved back. In a few seconds, Junmyeon was close enough for Kris to see his beautiful smile.

“Kris! Sorry if I kept you waiting for long.” Junmyeon was beaming at him. Ahh _,_ he was so cute.

“Not long at all. Nice to see you, Junmyeon.” God, he sounded so awkward. Junmyeon seemed like he wanted a hug but was too shy to reach out for one, so Kris took the initiative, hoping he’d read the situation correctly. Junmyeon snuggled into his chest— _ah, the top of his head reached just above Kris’s shoulders—_ and he fought down a vicious blush. “So—” Kris cleared his throat. “Tell me about your week. How’s that intern? Sehun, right?” Their hands brushed together when they started walking, and Junmyeon’s fingers briefly caught on his before they fell apart. A few seconds later, it happened again and Kris held on, pushing down his satisfaction at seeing Junmyeon’s cheeks light up.

“Yeah, Sehun. I think he’s warmed up to us now, which is great. I let Chanyeol and Baekhyun—they’re these two guys in my firm, total goofs but really nice people—take him out for lunch every day, and—oh, careful!” 

Kris tore his eyes away from Junmyeon and narrowly avoided colliding with a biker. How embarrassing. “Sorry, I’m fine, please continue.”

“Are you okay?” Junmyeon looked up at him, so much concern in those round eyes. Kris was burning.

“Yes.” 

“Are you sure? Your face is really red, and that guy almost plowed into you.” Junmyeon tugged him off to the side. “Did he bump you?”

“Junmyeon.” Kris caught Junmyeon’s hands before they could start patting him over to check for injuries. “My face. It’s red because you’re being so cute.” _Shit_ , why did he say that? He sounded so lame. Now he looked like a total idiot who couldn’t take his eyes off his date long enough to avoid accidents, like some sort of infatuated teenager.

“Oh.” Junmyeon seemed like he was going to melt into the sidewalk, but at least Kris had caused it. His words had restored the proper balance of things. “I—thank you.”

Kris’s nerves dissipated when Junmyeon made a truly _atrocious_ pun about the traffic light. He couldn’t help snorting at how proud Junmyeon seemed, and if Junmyeon had taken it as Kris finding his awful joke funny, well. That was acceptable too.

They ended up grabbing a quick dinner from a food truck, and soon they were at Junmyeon’s place. Kris had one hand wrapped around the back of Junmyeon’s neck, fingers tugging at his silky hair, and the other fumbling at the button of his slacks. Junmyeon was whimpering into his mouth, small hands spread across Kris’s bare chest.

“Kris—” He gasped as Kris pulled his hair, head tilting back and exposing more of his soft throat. Kris sucked a bruise into the base of it, at the junction between his neck and shoulder.

“Tell me to stop and I will,” he managed between open-mouthed kisses and gentle bites.

“Please—don’t stop—” Junmyeon broke off in another gasp as Kris nipped the hollow of his throat.

“Is it okay—” Kris pressed a kiss against Junmyeon’s jaw. “Can I take your pants off?”

“ _Yes_ , oh god yes, please do—” He did an awkward wriggle, lifting his hips off the couch. Kris dodged back to avoid being clipped on the chin by his shoulder.

“Oh—sorry, did I—” Junmyeon had a strange mixture of concern and arousal on his cute face, and Kris laughed before tugging his pants off all the way, tossing them to the side.

“No worries, just—” He pulled the man back against him, lips molding together. Junmyeon pushed Kris’s shirt off his shoulders, attempting to tug it off without moving Kris’s hands off of him.

“Why—Do you still have all—” He tugged at the waistband of Kris’s pants. “Why are you still dressed?”

Kris slid a hand down Junmyeon’s back. “Do you want me to take it off?”

“ _Yes._ ”

***

“What time is it?” Junmyeon mumbled into Kris’s chest, body curved against his.

“It’s—” Kris checked his phone, squinting at the light. “8:37.” He had four texts from Tao, probably updates on how Yixing was doing.

“Okay.” Junmyeon tucked his face more firmly against him, a soft sigh leaving swollen lips. “Can I stay here for a little bit longer?”

“You live here. We’re in your bed.” Kris slid his hand up to ruffle Junmyeon’s sweaty hair.

“Oh.” His arm tightened around Kris’s waist. “Can you stay here a little longer?”

Kris’s face was too warm again, and his heart was pounding. The second part was probably from the sex, though. “Sure.”

This was nice and not too unfamiliar. He’d cuddled with his hookups before, if it had been good enough to tire him out. Just…The talking part was new. Talking aside from checking in, the little non-sexual mumbles and occasional giggles from Junmyeon that would’ve been annoying during any other hookup—Kris supposed the main difference was that it hadn’t been a hookup. It was a date that had led to sex, which would hopefully be followed by more dates (and maybe more sex). He was dating Junmyeon, or most likely would end up doing so if two dates didn’t count.

He swept a thumb across Junmyeon’s smooth cheek, ignoring how the way his face sleepily turned to nuzzle Kris’s hand started a warm ache in his chest. Dating him wouldn’t be too bad, would it? Kris worked a lot, but Junmyeon did too so he probably wouldn’t get upset with Kris over that. They managed to talk regularly despite their different schedules, and Kris kind of really wanted a third date at least.

His phone’s buzzing interrupted his thoughts. Yixing was calling, which was…unusual. Kris swiped to answer, seeing five more texts from Tao.

“Hello?” Junmyeon mumbled something, and Kris smoothed a hand over his hair. “Shh, sorry, my friend called. You’re okay.” 

“Is ’t Yixing?” Kris smiled.

“Yes, it’s Yixing.” Junmyeon nodded, eyes slipping shut again.

“Tell ‘m hi. I hope he’s feeling better.” Kris patted his head.

“ _Kris?”_ Yixing definitely didn’t sound better.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

_“Kris, I’m sorry, I know you had your date today and I’m probably interrupting—”_

“Yixing, what’s wrong? Are you crying?” Junmyeon lifted his face, eyebrows furrowed in sleepy concern. Kris’s own frown was already firmly in place. 

_“Kris, I don’t—don’t know what to do—”_ Shit, shit. Yixing’s gasps were bigger, more desperate sounding. _“Kris, I—my gran—”_

“Hey, hey, I can’t understand what you’re saying, Xing. I'm here, what’s wrong?” Kris sat up. Junmyeon scrabbled around before handing him his shirt, more awake than before. “I'm sorry, I didn’t understand you—”

_“Kris—”_ Yixing choked on a sob, and Kris’s stomach clenched. _“My gran is in the ICU and I can’t—”_ Shit. Junmyeon had quietly gathered up his clothing, piling it next to him.

“Where are you?” Kris fumbled with his pants, clutching his phone between his cheek and shoulder. Junmyeon helped him, watching with wide eyes. Kris forced out a smile, reaching to give his hand a quick squeeze.

“ _I’m h-home, I just got back—”_

“Okay, I’m on my way to you, okay Yixing? I’ll be there as soon as possible.” Junmyeon had slid his own pants on; Kris hadn’t seen him do it. He hung up after a few more reassurances, dazed with concern.

“What’s wrong?” Junmyeon handed him his wallet; it must’ve fallen earlier. “Is he okay?”

“No, he—I’m sorry, this is so rude of me—” Kris paced, checking for anything he might’ve left behind. Nothing. Junmyeon had been thorough while Kris was on the phone, and now Kris got to feel like the asshole who took off after sex. “I’m sorry, this was amazing and you’re amazing, and I really wish I could stay longer.”

“It’s okay, I understand.” Junmyeon kissed his cheek, and the part of Kris’s brain that wasn’t in panic mode melted. “It sounded pretty serious, so you should go soon. I hope things work out for him.” He patted Kris’s hand, and Kris held on before he could move away.

“Me too.” Junmyeon squeezed his hand. “Thank you.” Kris pulled him closer, hugging him tightly before heading for the door.

“Um…I…See you soon?” Kris blinked, turning back to see a red-faced Junmyeon staring at the floor.

“Yes. Of course. God, did you think—Yes, see you soon.” Kris crossed back to him, pulling the smaller man over for a kiss. “I’m sorry for leaving. Bye, see you soon hopefully, thank you.” Junmyeon smiled up at him.

Kris took the stairs down, thoughts jumbled. Somewhere within the mess of _Yixing is he okay what happened need to go_ was the nagging insecurity from Junmyeon thinking Kris might not want to see him again after fucking. He could reflect more on that later.

Kris left the building, turned the corner, and ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished this monstrosity. Class is starting next week so 5 will unfortunately take even longer. I'm still going to see this through, though. Come say hi to me at www.waaahhhahaha.tumblr.com (a writing ref/exo blog i made instead of working hard on chapter 4 during my last few days of break).  
> Anyways, consent. Kris is big on it, as is everyone else. Everyone should be. Always ask for consent for everything.  
> Thank you so much for all the nice comments and kudos and everything!


	5. Lunch

Kris called Yixing again once he reached his street, panting into the phone.

“I’m almost there, Xing—” He fumbled with the doorknob. “—On my way to your door right now.”

Yixing answered after the first knock, chest jerking with barely-suppressed sobs. Kris pulled him close, hating how small the other man felt.

“I d-don’t know what to do—” 

Kris moved them over to the couch, rubbing small circles over a bony shoulder.

“They said—She was fine and then—They said she might not make it.” Yixing crumpled, sobbing onto Kris’s thigh with one hand white-knuckled in the hem of his shirt.

Kris closed his eyes, unable to watch as his best friend fell apart on him. 

“Shh, it’ll be okay Xingxing.” The nickname slipped out automatically, a jewel at the end of his lie.

“I don’t know what to _do—_ ” 

Kris didn’t either, not at all, but he’d do whatever he could.

 

***

 

“So you fucked and then he left because his friend called while having a breakdown?” 

Minseok had made plans during lunch, which left Junmyeon to fend off Jongdae alone.

“I mean, we had a date beforehand and got dinner and everything, I wouldn’t just say that…”

Jongdae raised an eyebrow. 

Junmyeon sighed. “Yeah, basically. That’s basically what happened.”

Jongdae whooped, clapping a hand on Junmyeon’s shoulder. Junmyeon dropped his sandwich. 

“Good for you, boss! I mean, not so much the leaving part but everything else, wow! I’m really proud of you.” Jongdae’s big eyes crinkled in a sweet smile, and Junmyeon almost thanked him.

“What do you mean, proud of me?” 

“It’s an accomplishment, you know? You do things, live your life, prove people wrong.” Jongdae shrugged, going back to his meal. 

“…And whom am I proving wrong, exactly?” 

Jongdae looked awfully guilty. “Oh, you know…People… Chanyeol and I had full faith in you though.” 

What.

“…Were you betting on me?”

Jongdae’s smile was sweet enough to cause cavities. Junmyeon sighed again, setting down his food. 

“Thanks.” At least he could always rely on Chanyeol, though he’d expected Minseok to give him more credit.

“Oh…Did I upset you? It was all a joke, I swear, none of us meant any harm by it and you weren’t supposed to find out anyways.” Jongdae’s eyebrows slanted like the sides of a perfect trapezoid, perpetually upturned corners of his mouth dragging downwards. “You know we all love you, right? It was just a joke, honestly—”

“I know, I know, I love you too, don’t worry. It’s not that.” 

Jongdae put down his food, edging closer to Junmyeon. 

“I just. I don’t know. Kris. I don’t doubt that his friend was having some sort of crisis, and I know he’s been busy with that, but…”

“Has he been ignoring you?” Jongdae’s eyebrows looked like they would topple off his face if they tilted any further. “Did you text him afterwards? What did you say? Does he have read receipts on?”

“No, he’s not ignoring me. We’ve been talking, I just…I don’t know if things are weird now.” This was embarrassing. Junmyeon’s face reddened, since anything and everything relating to Kris told his face that it was time to mimic a tomato.

“Why would things be weird?” Jongdae’s concern was replaced by confusion, and Junmyeon’s cheeks were probably on fire. “You’re dating, aren’t you? People have sex when they date, that’s normal. You should know that, hyung.”

“No, I _do,_ I just— It’s just—Never mind.” Junmyeon finished the last bite of his sandwich, gathering up his trash and avoiding Jongdae’s concerned frown.

“Tell me, Junmyeon. What’s bothering you so much?” He scooted closer, tossing an arm over Junmyeon’s shoulders. Junmyeon sighed. From his angle, Jongdae looked like a sympathetic camel.

“I really like him, Dae. He’s a great guy, and I don’t know if I ruined things by sleeping with him and then getting too emotional.”

“Wait, what did you do? Did you tell him you love him or something?” 

Junmyeon cringed at the idea. “Of course not! I didn’t do anything, and I’m probably just overthinking everything right now, but I just…” He looked away from Jongdae’s searching eyes. “…Don’t want to end up liking him more than he likes me.” He mumbled the last part, embarrassment yielding to something like shame. 

It wouldn’t be the first time. Both parties started off equally interested, then Junmyeon said too much or was too affectionate or tried too hard. He somehow always ended up being too much in all the wrong ways, while—

“Oh!” Jongdae wrapped his arms around Junmyeon’s middle, squeezing him. “It’ll be okay, hyung. I think it’ll work out. Try not to worry too much, okay?”

Junmyeon hugged him back before gently pushing him off and standing. 

“Yeah, I’ll try. I’m just being dumb.” He was always, somehow, both too much and never enough for his romantic partners, but at least he was enough for his firm.

“You’re not dumb.” Jongdae threw their trash away. “You just worry a lot. It’ll be okay. Give it a day or two, things will work out.”

 

***

 

“Good morning, Xingxing.” Yixing was slouched over the register, fatigue evident, and engaged in conversation with a smaller man. The man turned when Yixing raised a hand in greeting, eyes widening when they landed on Kris.

“Hello.” Kris nodded at the man politely before focusing on Yixing.

“I’ll talk to you some other time Minseok, have a good day.”

“Of course Yixing, I hope things get better.” 

Yixing thanked him, and the man left with a box of doughnuts and one last look at Kris.

“That was weird.” Kris pulled a chair over to the counter, setting his thermos down with a thunk. He’d only managed to push Yixing into taking one day off, which was better than none but not nearly enough. 

“Minseok comes in almost every day, a few hours before you. He usually buys things for his office. Nice guy.” Yixing looked a little better, though still more worn than usual. He handed Kris’s breakfast over with a soft smile, frayed at the edges. Kris hated it.

He broke off part of his muffin.

“He was staring at me like he knew me.” Junmyeon’s best friend had a name that sounded similar, but Kris couldn’t remember seeing a picture.

Yixing hummed, resting his head on crossed arms, and Kris brushed the thoughts aside.

“Anyways. You. I thought you were going to take the week off?” 

Yixing rolled his eyes.

“I said I would take a _day_ off, and I did. I can still work, Kris.”

“Yes, but can doesn’t always mean should. Especially with you. Can never means should when it comes to you.” Kris gave him a Look that clearly said _Do Not Fight Me on This, We Both Know I’m Right._ “Did they give you any updates?”

“No. Still waiting. She hasn’t gotten any worse though, so I suppose that’s good.” Yixing’s dark circles looked like bruises. He was once again life’s punching bag, and Kris felt just as useless as he always did whenever Yixing crumbled away in front of him. He brushed a hand through the soft mop of hair, prompting a half-hearted swat. 

“How are things with Junmyeon? I’m sorry for interrupting you guys—”

“Stop.” Kris tapped the man’s head. “No apologies for that, remember?” He pushed the last bite of his muffin over before Yixing could protest. “We’re good. We’ve been texting. I was thinking of bringing lunch to him, actually.”

Yixing smiled. “That’s really cute, Kris. Today?”

“Yeah, today. I got his work address, and he’s not too far from _Crown.”_ Kris pursed his lips, tenting his fingers under his chin. “I just. I don’t know. I want this to continue.” 

“Does he not want that?”

Kris checked his phone, Junmyeon’s _Have a good day at work! :) Talk to you later!_ lingering on the screen. “No, he seems to. I don’t know.” He stood, pushing his trash into the bin. 

“See you later, Xing. Try to sleep before you come in, please, or better yet just don’t come in at all.” Yixing rolled his eyes, and Kris gave him another Look.“Really. Please take the night off.”

“I’ll be fine, Kris. Go to work and have fun on your date later.”

He left with one last squeeze of a too-bony shoulder.

 

***

 

“So…” Junmyeon coughed awkwardly.

“Yes?” Sehun blinked at him over his stack of files. Their interactions had improved over the past few weeks, but Sehun continued to favor Baekhyun and Chanyeol. He rarely interacted with anyone else besides occasional eye contact, and he had yet to approach Junmyeon on his own beyond turning in completed work and asking for more. 

Sometimes, if Junmyeon was lucky, Sehun smiled a little at his jokes.

“How’re those going? Manageable?” Sehun gave him a blank look.

“…They’re case files.” Right. 

“Right, yeah, I was just…” Junmyeon trailed off, tips of his ears heating.

“I can read, Junmyeon.” Sehun frowned at him, eyes narrowed.

“Of _course_ you can read, I just…never mind.” His words faded into a mumble at the end. 

“When are we getting lunch?” Oh. Junmyeon mentally swore at himself. He’d totally forgotten, and after so much time spent cajoling and nearly begging Baekhyun and Chanyeol to let him have one day with Sehun, too. Today really wasn’t his day.

“Um—” Sehun’s dark eyes met his, serious and unblinking. “I—well—actually—Kris is bringing me lunch today.”

“Who…?”

“Kris, he’s—right, you don’t know him, I forgot, um—” Sehun’s frown was growing into a pout, and Junmyeon’s panic shot up. “Kris is my boyfriend you haven’t met him he’s bringing me lunch today I’m so sorry you can eat with us if you want I’m sorry—”

“Why did you just invite me to eat with you and your boyfriend?” Really, _why_ did he?

“I…” His phone buzzed, lighting up with a text from Kris.

_Hey, I should be there in about fifteen minutes._

Sehun cleared his throat.

“Sorry! I’m sorry, he just—”

“It’s fine, I’ll just eat with Baekhyun and Chanyeol again.” Sehun neatly stacked the few files he had left before standing, and Junmyeon felt like The Worst Person in the World. “See you later.”

“Sehun—” Junmyeon stood too, though he didn’t really have anywhere to go. “We can get lunch tomorrow? I really would like to get to know you better, and I’m so sorry for today.” He moved next to the taller boy—man, though it was hard to think of him as a man with that pout dragging down the corners of his mouth.

“Yeah, okay.”

Junmyeon reached for Sehun’s elbow, but the man breezed past him before he could make contact.

“See you…later?” 

Sehun was gone after the first two words left his mouth, and Junmyeon awkwardly straightened a pile of papers before sitting back down.

_I just completely ruined any chance I had of getting Sehun to warm up to me, please come soon._

 

***

 

Tao handed Kris the last box, watching Kris tuck it into the bag. 

“So, I’m assuming you’re going to eat there with him then?”

Kris straightened the boxes, making sure everything was neatly stacked to minimize falling over during the walk. Tao cleared his throat.

“What?” He glanced up, cheeks flushing at the amused smirk on the man’s thin lips. “Oh. Yeah, I’m eating there with him.”

“Okay, update me when you get back!” Tao slipped a few sets of cutlery into the bag before patting Kris’s shoulder. “Full report, all details included.”

Kris tapped back a reply, half-smile forming at Junmyeon’s text.

_Just finished packing everything up. I’ll see you soon._

“Hey Kris.” Tao tapped on his head. Kris jerked up, locking his phone.

“What? Yeah, of course.” He checked Junmyeon’s work address again before tucking his phone away. “Right. I’ll be back around two or three, see you then.” Tao had an infuriatingly knowing look on his face as he waved goodbye.

 

Junmyeon’s office wasn’t too far away. It was rather close to Yixing’s bakery, actually, and Kris arrived sooner than he planned. He entered the tall building, trailed by a suit-clad man laden with takeout bags. The man followed Kris into the elevator, punching a number awkwardly before looking at Kris.

“Ah—” Kris checked Junmyeon’s text. “Same floor, actually. Thanks.”

The man smiled and nodded, and then…continued to watch him. Kris shifted.

“Can I—”

“You’re the hot Tinder guy!” The man’s boxy smile took up half of his face. Kris blinked. 

“…Excuse me?”

The man shuffled closer, enormous smile still in place. Kris moved closer to the wall, bag of food providing a small barrier. Was this one of Junmyeon’s coworkers? Junmyeon had only ever mentioned one of his friends, and though he didn’t really remember, Kris doubted that friend would corner a stranger in an elevator.

“It’s you! You know, we didn’t think Junmyeon hyung would _actually_ go through with the whole thing but it’s nice that he did, he’s been a lot happier recently and doesn’t seem like he’s going to explode from stress or something—”

The doors slid open, and Kris quickly moved around the man and out, only to be followed because _right, they were going to the same floor._ Their arrival didn’t phase the man at all, and he continued with his rapid-fire babble.

“Junmyeon used to look really lonely sometimes when we all went out, and—-oh, if you’re looking for him you can just follow me by the way—sometimes he got whiny about being single but don’t tell him that, he’ll just pout and deny it. You know, he actually whines a lot if you get him started.” The man led him down the hall, through a glass door, and up to a desk where another man watched the both of them with wide eyes.

“Baekhyun, who is that?” Baekhyun. Kris didn’t remember ever hearing that name, but at least this Baekhyun’s attention was off of him now.

“It’s him!” 

The seated man dead-panned. “Thank you Baek, that was incredibly helpful.” 

His eyes didn’t leave Kris, scanning him from head to toe. Kris smiled awkwardly, free hand sliding into his pocket for his phone.

_Pretty sure I’m in your office now._

“Jongdae, it’s him! Tinder guy! The one we all thought was too hot for Junmyeon!”

Kris’s cheeks flushed at the comment. Both of them were staring at him now, and Kris faced one boxy grin and one kitten-mouthed curl of a smile. 

“Ahhhh you brought him lunch! That’s so sweet, I told Jun everything would work out.” Desk-guy was approaching him now, one hand extended. “I’m Jongdae, nice to finally meet you.”

“Kris, same to you.” He shook the extended hand, vaguely wondering where Junmyeon was and if he had checked his phone. At least he was definitely at the right office.

“I’m Baekhyun, it’s great to meet you! Thanks for dating our boss.” None of the energy in Baekhyun’s voice transferred to his handshake, surprisingly. Kris had half-expected the man to rip his arm off.

“Nice to meet you too. Do you know where Junmyeon is by any chance?” He still hadn’t gotten a reply, and the food was probably getting cold.

“I’m here!” Hurried footsteps pattered behind him. Junmyeon beamed up at him, a little frazzled. “Great to see you, Kris, thank you so much for lunch and for coming here.”

“Hey Junmyeon.” Kris pressed a kiss to his cheek, ignoring their audience and moving the bag away as Junmyeon tried to take it. “I’ve got it, just show me where you want to eat.” Junmyeon blushed violently, adorably, and surrendered the bag.

“We—ah, we can eat in my office, it’s just over here—” He took Kris’s free hand, avoiding eye contact with his coworkers. Baekhyun seemed undeterred—funny guy, Kris was starting to like him—and was trying his best to wink at them. 

“Baekhyun, you look like you have something in your eye. You might want to take care of that.”

Kris barely suppressed a chuckle, letting himself be dragged along as Baekhyun whined in protest. Junmyeon faced him once they were in his office, and Kris set the bag on the floor before sliding his arms around the man’s waist. 

“So,” Junmyeon breathed out.

Kris kissed him. When they broke apart, Junmyeon’s cheeks were pink-tinged and lovely, and Kris cupped the back of his head to pull him in for another.

“I missed you.” He hadn’t realized how much until now, temporarily freed from the whirlwind of work and concern. 

Junmyeon attempted to cover his spreading blush with his hands, and Kris pulled him against his chest as the smaller man mumbled out a reply.

His words _definitely_ didn’t send a rush of giddiness straight to Kris’s heart. He was far too old (and tall) to have butterflies.

“How’s Yixing?” Junmyeon gestured for them to sit once they broke apart.

Kris unpacked the food. “He’s…better than he was, at least. Still working normal hours, so he looks exhausted whenever I see him, but things haven’t gotten worse.”

“That’s good! I hope everything works out soon. And the food looks wonderful, thank you again for this.” Junmyeon was looking at him with enough gratitude and sincerity to make Kris duck his head, desperately fighting down a blush.

“You’re welcome. I, um, really wanted to see you.” Geez, when did he become so awkward? It was probably better for everyone if he didn’t talk, especially if he was going to keep embarrassing himself. 

When he’d told Junmyeon that he’d missed him and the man had blushed so hard that Kris could feel it against his neck when he pulled him close—that was the first push over the edge. Then Junmyeon had mumbled it back and didn’t stop being cute and sweet, and Kris was rapidly dying. His heart had backflipped off the edge, and now he was totally gone for the small man whose cheeks were currently puffed with food.

 

Junmyeon was in the middle of telling him about Sehun when someone knocked, peeking in before Junmyeon could say anything. 

Kris blinked. The man was almost as tall as him, with large ears that were turning red as his wide eyes locked on Kris.

“Ah! You’re with your boyfriend! I’m sorry hyung, I didn’t mean to interrupt—” 

Junmyeon choked, and Kris gently thumped his back. Junmyeon’s office was full of interesting people, apparently. Never mind how the “boyfriend” part did a weird thing to his chest.

“Chan—” Junmyeon coughed one last time, clearing his throat. “Chanyeol. This is Kris. Kris, Chanyeol. He works with Baekhyun.”

Ah, interesting. Kris smiled at Chanyeol, waving a little. The man immediately beamed back at him, toothy grin on display.

“Anyways, did you need something Chanyeol?”

“Oh!” The man blinked, tips of his large ears turning red again. “I, uh…No. Baekhyun said that he met Kris because he was bringing lunch to you, and I just…wanted to meet him too.”

Huh. Nice to know he was famous among Junmyeon’s friends.

“Well, you’ve met him.” Junmyeon had composed himself quickly. Kris looked at him, only to find Junmyeon already watching him fondly, which. Good. It was good, it was sweet, of course Junmyeon liked him, Kris just—

“Is he okay?” Nice. Both of them seemed concerned for him now.

Kris gave Junmyeon what he hoped was a reassuring smile. If he didn’t die from prolonged Junmyeon exposure first, the embarrassment would surely take him. 

“Okay, I’ll stop bothering you now hyung. Enjoy the rest of your lunch, congratulations!” The man left with one last confused look at Kris, followed by a wave and toothy grin.

Junmyeon frowned at Chanyeol’s last words, lower lip jutting out in a way that made Kris want to bite it, and he needed to _stop_. Kris gathered up his trash, coughing a bit.

“So, this was nice. We should do it again sometime.”

Junmyeon blinked, and— _what if he said the wrong thing oh no—_ broke into yet another blinding, achingly sweet smile. Part of Kris wondered if an outright denial would’ve sent his chest into the same spasms.

“I would like that, but you don’t have to go out of your way for me, Kris. I don’t want to throw off your schedule or—”

“You’re not.” Junmyeon blinked at his interruption. Kris put a hand over Junmyeon’s— _his hand was so small wow—_ and leveled him with a Look that hopefully said _Don’t You Ever Think of Yourself as an Inconvenience_ rather than _Being Around You Makes My Heart Do Weird Things and I Like It._

“I enjoy spending time with you. If it’s fine with you, I would like to continue spending time with you. Since we’re. You know. Together.”

“Oh! Yes, that—Yes, that would be wonderful. I like spending time with you too.” 

Junmyeon’s face was bright red again, and Kris hoped his own wasn’t _that_ red. He checked his phone, standing.

“Well. I have to get back now, but I’ll text you?” He put a hand on Junmyeon’s shoulder, awkwardly— _why was he suddenly so awkward?_

“Yes, I’ll text you too! I mean, I’ll try not to bother you when you’re busy but—” Junmyeon cut himself off by sliding his arms around Kris’s waist. 

Kris kissed him as soon as he looked up, smiling against his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey so I'm alive! and writing! between doing everything else! but yeah, here's the update i meant to post three months ago. I've also been trying to work on two other fics totally unrelated to this one, one of which i........meant to post two months ago and still have yet to finish.  
> sad day today, take care of yourselves. if you need someone to talk to, I'm on tumblr @waaahhhahaha


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